Los Angeles Car Accident Leaves Two Police Officers Injured

By John Bisnar

Two police officers were injured in a Los Angeles car accident after their patrol car was struck by another vehicle at a street intersection. According to a news report in the Los Angeles Daily News, the injury crash occurred at the intersection of Vanowen Street and Louise Avenue in Lake Balboa, the morning of February 22, 2012. Officials say the cruiser was eastbound on Vanowen and was waiting to turn left onto Louise Avenue when a westbound sedan collided with the police car. Both officers in the cruiser were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The accident apparently involved two more vehicles. However, it is not clear if anyone else was injured.

My thoughts and prayers are with the injured LAPD officers. I wish them the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.Los Angeles Car Accident Statistics

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 227 fatalities and 25,043 injuries occurred involving Los Angeles car accidents. In Los Angeles County as a whole, 554 people died and 50,817 were injured due to car accidents, during the same year.

What Caused This Crash?

Based on this news report, the other vehicle veered out of its lane of traffic and collided with the cruiser. It also seems that this collision triggered a chain-reaction crash involving two other vehicles. It is not yet clear what caused the driver of the sedan to strike the police vehicle. Were drugs or alcohol involved? Was the driver of the vehicle distracted, inattentive or fatigued? I trust officials are looking into these and other factors in order to determine precisely what occurred here and why.

California Vehicle Code Section 21651 (a) states: “Whenever a highway has been divided into two or more roadways by means of intermittent barriers or by means of a dividing section of not less than two feet in width, either unpaved or delineated by curbs, double-parallel lines, or other markings on the roadway, it is unlawful…to drive any vehicle over, upon, or across the dividing section.”

Liability Issues

In such cases, the at-fault motorist can be held liable for the resulting injuries and damages. Since the police officers were on the job at the time, they can also claim workers compensation benefits to cover medical costs and loss of earnings. Injured victims would be well advised to seek the counsel of an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who will analyze all aspects of the incident and ensure that the negligent parties are held liable.

Disclaimer: Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys provides the California Injury Blog as a public service for general information only. It is not a substitute for legal advice. No person should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information contained in this blog. The material on this blog is not intended as legal advice and is not a substitute for a consultation with an attorney. The best personal injury law firms offer free consultations. Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys and all contributing authors expressly disclaim all liability to any person with respect to the contents of this website, and with respect to any act or failure to act made on reliance on any material contained herein.